The Inupiaq homeland is in Northwest Alaska and North Alaska. The Portland Art Museum has some Inupiaq items on display. Shown above: Inupiaq mask made about 1900 from wood Shown above. Inupiaq pipe made about 1900 from ivory, wood, and paint. The art work on the pipe shows a walrus hunt in which the hunter … Continued
The Northwest Coast culture area stretches along the Pacific coast between the Cascade Mountains and the ocean. It extends north of California to Alaska. This is an area which is the home to many Indian nations who traditionally based their economy on the use of sea coast and river ecological resources. The Northwest Coast culture … Continued
Long before the European invasion of North America, a number of autonomous, independent, and linguistically related peoples lived in contiguous territories in what would become the state of Washington. These peoples included the Yakama, Kittitas, Klikitat (also spelled Klickitat), Tainapam, and Wanapam. In 1855, the United States government forced a treaty on these people, grouping … Continued
As Grandmother Taught: Women, Tradition and Plateau Art was a special exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington. The Plateau Culture Area is basically the area between the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains. The Indian nations of the Columbia River Plateau are shown above. With regard to weaving baskets, … Continued
The Siletz Room in the Burrows House Museum in Newport, Oregon, contains baskets and beadwork from the Clarinda G. Copeland (1852-1929) Collection. Born Clarinda Gertrude Kisor, she married Professor James Chambers in 1870 and in 1883 they moved to the Siletz Reservation where James served as trader to the Confederated Tribes of the reservation. When … Continued
The Northwest Coast culture area stretches along the Pacific coast between the Cascade Mountains and the ocean. It extends north of California to Alaska. This is an area which is the home to many Indian nations who traditionally based their economy on the use of sea coast and river ecological resources. The Northwest Coast culture … Continued
In looking at American Indian art, there is a different between tribal art and ethnic art. In his book Native Arts of North America, Christian Feest writes: “Tribal art was (and is) produced by members of tribal societies primarily for their own or their fellow members’ use.” One of the classic examples of tribal art … Continued
The Northwest Coast culture area stretches along the Pacific coast between the Cascade Mountains and the ocean. It extends north of California to Alaska. This is an area which is the home to many Indian nations who traditionally based their economy on the use of sea coast and river ecological resources. The Northwest Coast culture … Continued
A special exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington, featured The Inuit Art of Povungnituk. A portion of this exhibit was dedicated to Inuit carving. Museum curator Eva Fognell, in an article in American Indian Art, reports: “The Arctic cultures have strong aesthetic traditions. For example, carving and incising ivory … Continued
Many museums, including the Portland Art Museum, have displays of Mission Baskets which generally refers to baskets made by Indian people on the southern coast of California: Chumash, Gabrieleno, Luiseno, Juaneno, and Digueno. The designation “Mission Baskets” was developed by anthropologist Alfred Kroeber in 1922. From the display on Mission Baskets at the Portland Art … Continued
